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Nyx

[SHOW]

Slowly but surely, your shadow makes its way towards the staircase leading up to the tavern's main floor. It appears to lead up to a small landing, with another parallel staircase leading to the building's second floor to the right. To the left of the staircase seems to be an open doorway leading to the main floor. It seems to be in the back right corner of the building, from what you're able to tell.

The voices are louder by the stairwell, and you see someone who appears to be a waitress appear on the landing before ascending the stairs up towards whatever lies on the second floor.

"How much?" Ciraco asks the boy, catching his dagger mid spin and slotting it to it's sheathe as he stands up from the wall.

"Your Legio, huh?" Idrig says, interest piqued. "What do they need the coin for?"

"Yes sir!" the excitable youngster says to Idrig, flashing his toothy grin again. "We're raising coin so we can do lots of fun stuff with a Legio! Horse riding, archery, arts and crafts! Lots more! It's super fun!" The energy of the boy leaves you wondering if he helped himself to some of the cookies.

He turns towards Ciraco, looking up with puppy-like eyes and grinning. He pauses and scrunches his face, looking back towards the cart. "Umm..." His face lights up again a moment later. "Oh yeah! It's five silver a box! Oh! Wait!" He scurries over to the cart and holds up the boxes, showing there are multiple varieties. He squints at the boxes, trying to read the Brennisian text. "I have, umm... vanilla canestrelli, chocolate amaretti, fig cuccidati, anise pizzelle, and uhh... Oh, my favorite! Lemon torcetti!"

OOC

[SHOW]

Canestrelli: Windmill/Flower-shaped shortbread
Chocolate Amaretti: Chocolate and almond cookies
Cuccidati: Small iced pastry filled with fig
Pizzelle: Waffle cookie with extravagant shapes
Torcetti: Twisted butter cookies

Ciraco thinks for a moment before he pulls out a gold coin and flicks it across to the young boy. "I'll take a box of the chocolate amaretti and a box of the torcetti," he says.

Narciso watched the young kid excitedly try to sell his pastries and, not wanting to be left out, also pulled out a gold coin. "I'll have a vanilla canestrelli and one of those anise pizzelles." He would hand over the gold coin after Ciraco got what he asked for, not wanting to overwhelm the kid with too many things.

Though a masterful alchemist, Idrig has never been much of a baker or a chef. His mouth waters at the thought of the biscotti, but as he goes to reach for his coinpurse, he remembers his deal with the alchemist. Damnit. I'm spent.

He stays quiet, watching grumpily as the others order.

"Pizelle and cuccidati for me," Luca says, grinning warmly at the tiny legionnaire. Alfio smiles and nods, putting the coins into a small pouch and divvying out the wooden boxes filled with cookies. "Thank you!" he says happily. He looks towards Idrig, though, and frowns. He scrunches his face up, hand on chin, as if deep in thought and digs into his cart for an opened box.

Alfio approaches the dwarf, looking up at him and smiling. He pulls out two cookies, a torcetti and chocolate amaretti. "Mama always says I should share with those in need! So here you go, mister!"

He looks towards Nyx next, glancing at her curiously. "Is your friend okay? Does she want any?" he asks, pointing back at her with an extended thumb.

Nyx

[SHOW]

As the sight of the server comes into view, Nyx dissolves her shadow to avoid being discovered.

Nyx comes back to herself after a moment of exploration, and is a bit confused. Where before her companions were alone, now she sees before them a small child.

"Uh, hello," she says to the boy as she approaches, before turning to face the others. "Who is this child?" she asks to any who wants to answer. And where did he come from? I wasn't out for that long.

Idrig grumbles a thank-you in response, taking the cookies gingerly. Generosity isn't something he experiences every day, and he simply stares at the cookies in his hand with a blank expression. Why would he give me these? It doesn't help him or his little regiment. Stupid kid.

He snaps out of it when the boy mentions Nyx. "Yes, she's okay. Leave her. She's busy."

The woman steps over, and the dwarf sighs. "He's selling biscotti to raise coin for his Legio," Idrig repeats matter-of-factly. "Are you finished?" he asks her, quieter now.

"Oh, cookies sound nice," Nyx responds, somewhat excited at the thought. Hearing Idrig's question, she turns to him and whispers, "yes, I can explain once this child has left." With that she turns her attention once more to the child in front of her, giving the young man a friendly smile.

"What sort of flavors are you selling? And what is your Legio? Aren't you too young to be in the army?" she asks, the confusion clear in her voice.

Narciso begins eating his cookies happily. "Mmm. These are good!" He says, looking around at the others.

"It's like a club," Ciraco explains to Nyx, before the boy can reply. He grabs one of his torcetti and takes a bite. "Yeah, not bad..." he says to Narciso through a mouthful of biscuit.

"I'm Alfio!" the boy says with an ear-to-ear grin as he looks up at Nyx. "It's the Legio Piccolo! It's for boys like me to go on adventures and have fun!" He walks back to his small cart, lifting up the variety of flavors for Nyx, all packaged in unique wooden boxes. "Okay! So I have umm... chocolate amaretti, fig cuccidati, vanilla canestrelli, lemon torcetti, and anise pizzelle! The torcetti's my favorite!"

Cookies

[SHOW]

Canestrelli: Windmill/Flower-shaped shortbread
Chocolate Amaretti: Chocolate and almond cookies
Cuccidati: Small iced pastry filled with fig
Pizzelle: Waffle cookie with extravagant shapes
Torcetti: Twisted butter cookies

Idrig grunts in approval to Nyx, watching pointedly as the other two enjoy their cookies. With hesitation, he takes a bite out of one — the torcetti. To his surprise, it's delicious.

"Good cookie," he says, wiping a crumb from his beard before chomping down again. He'd be better off joining a bakers' guild than the damned Legion. It's bizarre how these humans rear their children.

"Oh, that sounds fun," Nyx says to the boy with a warm smile. I wonder if he and his friends get into as much mischief as I did, she thinks, as she gazes over the array of cookies. "They all look so good, it's hard to decide! How much are they?"

"Yeah! It really is! And I've made so many friends too!" Alfio nods vigorously, a sheepish grin ever-present on his face. "They're five silver a box! They're all super yummy, I promise!"

"Oh, ok," Nyx responds, excited that the price is so cheap. "Then I will take one box of each," she continues, digging through her coin purse and producing 3 gold pieces. She hands them to the boy before adding, "the rest you can keep." I wonder if Alina would like any of these, she thinks.

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Spend 3gp, gain cookies. How many cookies are in these boxes?

"Thank you, miss! And thank you all of you!" Alfio says, putting the coins away and handing a stack of boxes to Nyx. "I gotta go before mama's done with lunch. Bye!" He gives an excitable wave and grins again. He takes a hold of his cart and starts down the street again, disappearing into a side street not long after.

"Right, what'd you see, Nyx?" Luca asks once the boy is out of earshot.

OOC

[SHOW]

The boxes have 12-13 cookies. Typically 12, but sometimes you get lucky! The real fortune of Teiros is this extra cookie.

"Bye," Nyx says, giving the child a polite wave as he hands her the cookies and runs off. She stuffs them in her pack for later, not in the mood to eat any at the moment. When prompted she turns to face Luca and Idrig, saying, "well the sewer does run under that building, but it ends in that tavern across the street." With this she points to the Old King's Haunt, which is directly across the way from the abandoned structure.

"The building was pretty beat up and I wouldn't say safe to go in, but there is a path straight to the sewer in the tavern basement. If we did want to get in from here, that is our best option."

Idrig stands up straight, eager to get back to business with the child gone. "Well, it sounds like this Old King's Haunt has what we need. Close to the route, a bit of flair compared to the usual casino dive, and it's got underground access." He thinks a moment longer. "The only cherry on the top would be a perfect place for an ambush."

"Of course," he adds. "We may not need such a thing now that my... alchemical strategy has been added to the mix."

Narciso puts the boxes in his bag and looks around again. "Well, which of us would actually be the best at bringing him to the sewer? We can't attack him out in public, obviously." He says, whispering it to his teammates.

"It's simple," Idrig says with a bored shrug. "Some of us can act as his guards. The moment danger arises, we help him get away."

He frowns, realizing the man may have guards of his own. "Though I suppose we will need a way to dispatch his real escort..."

"Before we discuss further, we should find someplace more private," Narciso says. "We should find somewhere to sit, maybe have a drink while we wait."

OOC

[SHOW]

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Perception: 9(1d20) +7 = 16

Narciso

[SHOW]

As you're approaching the location Idrig suggested, you notice a strange concentration of birds flocking around the area, more than you'd normally see in other parts of the city.

ooc

[SHOW]

Are we heading in the vague direction of the hideout we were discussing earlier?

OOC

[SHOW]

Should we roll something here to scope it out for sewer access / ambush spots?

OOC/Mechanics

[SHOW]

Would Nyx know anything about this place? Should I roll to know?

OOC

[SHOW]

Feel free to roll whatever you'd feel applicable. Streetwise/dungeoneering for sewers, streetwise/history for knowledge of this place, etc

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Dungeoneering (I wrote streetwise in the roller as I'm a dumb): 12(1d20) +5 = 17

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Streetwise to check for sewers, and if I've heard anything about this place: 7(1d20) +8 = 15

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Streetwise to see if she knows anything about this place: 13

Ciraco

[SHOW]

Looking into the plaza, you see a small grate built into the cobblestone, leading you to believe the sewers are running directly below. You recall a nexus of sorts from the sewer maps, with tunnels branching in every direction from the plaza. However, you're unable to see any sewer entrances visible from the outside world.

Idrig

[SHOW]

You're unable to see any sewer entrances visible from the outside world. However, you do see a small grate built into the cobblestone in the nearby plaza. This leads you to believe some tunnels are beneath.

You're vaguely familiar with the Crimson Butterfly, though you've never had the displeasure of visiting it. You recall seeing flyers advertising some sort of nonsense event it was holding. You recall something about live dancers, discounted drinks, and a night of passion.

Nyx

[SHOW]

You recall walking past the Crimson Butterfly on multiple occasions on your way towards the Carnevale most days during your employment. Much like today, you recall someone dressed in red luring guests inside. From your understanding, it's an entertainment venue where scantily-clad women dance on stage for a lonely audience, a vulgar display so unlike anything you'd expect in your homeland. You also recall they have half-priced drinks in the mornings.